“I… I swear, Your Royal Highness. It’s not true. There’s absolutely no such thing,” Warren stammered. His face drained of color, sweat rolling down his forehead. He waved his hands frantically and hunched over, trying to make himself smaller.
His voice cracked with desperation, saying, “You’ve misunderstood. Just a… It was just a small misunderstanding. I was worried my two foolish nephews were being mistreated at the police station.
“I got flustered and spoke too harshly, but I never meant to threaten Chief Wolfe. Right? It was a misunderstanding, wasn’t it?”
He pleaded with his eyes at Cedric, silently begging him to speak on his behalf. Cedric didn’t dare to say anything. He kept his head down, staring at his toes, as if he’d heard nothing.
Grace’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile. “A misunderstanding? Speaking too harshly? Warren, did you really think you could fool me?”
“No, Your Royal Highness. I-”
“Then tell me,” she cut him off, her tone sharp and unforgiving. “Your precious nephew, Gilbert, gathered dozens of street thugs armed with knives and clubs to corner, chase, and attempt to harm someone in broad daylight in a busy street.
What do you call that? A minor conflict?
“And your other dear nephew,” she added, her gaze shifting to the pale-faced Frederick. “As the elder brother, you encouraged Gilbert instead of stopping him. And afterward, you had the audacity to threaten the officers at the station. What do you call that? A small misunderstanding?”
Warren was left speechless. Cold sweat had soaked through his undershirt as he forced himself to defend them.
“Your Royal Highness, there must be some misunderstanding here. Perhaps they’re young and hot-headed, got into an argument with someone, and acted impulsively…”
“Acted impulsively?” Grace shot back, sneering.
She’d had enough of his excuses, then gave a slight nod to one of the men in black beside her.
The man stepped forward immediately and handed her a thick folder. Without even looking at it, she hurled it toward Warren.
The folder burst open on impact, sending a flurry of documents and photos scattering over his head and across the floor.
Warren stood stunned, then looked down. With just one glance, his pupils contracted sharply. The color drained completely from his face, and even his lips began to tremble.
What lay scattered on the ground weren’t just photos from that evening’s incident, but also printed documents.
They documented Gilbert’s past involvement in multiple brawls, assaults, and even connections to gray market operations. Times, locations, witnesses, and partial transaction records were all included.
The files on Frederick were even more damning, including evidence of him using family influence to crush business rivals, and involvement in several instances of serious commercial fraud and suspected personal threats.
Each piece of evidence was clear and well-documented, leaving no room for doubt.
This wasn’t some hastily compiled dossier since everything had been meticulously prepared in advance. It seemed someone had been watching Gilbert and Frederick for a long time, and perhaps the entire Chandler family.
“Now…” Grace’s icy voice cut through the room like a verdict. “Do you have anything left to say? Or are you going to tell me these are all misunderstandings too? And that someone framed your family again?”
Warren felt a chill shoot up his spine, his hands and feet turning icy. He knew she had come prepared this time. With such irrefutable evidence, she clearly meant business.
“Your Royal Highness, please show mercy, ” he said.
Overwhelming fear shattered Warren’s last line of resistance. He no longer cared about his pride. His legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees before Grace.
His voice shook as he pleaded, “It’s my fault for failing to discipline them properly. Your Royal Highness, please have mercy.
“In light of our family’s past service to the country, I beg you to be lenient and spare them this once. We’ll be eternally grateful and will strictly discipline our children from now on. We swear this will never happen again.”
He begged incoherently, attempting to buy mercy with his family’s past service.
“Your family’s past service to the country is not a free pass for wrongdoing,” Grace said, looking down at him with an unwavering gaze. “Warren, your family’s past service may have spared them for now. But do you really think this would stop with just these two if not for that?”
Her words hit him hard. He jerked his head up, eyes wide with shock. The princess meant that if he didn’t know his place, the entire Chandler family could be implicated.
